Car roof



May 3, 1932- c. D. BONSALL CAR ROOF Filed Sept. 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet1/16 firroemens.

y 1932- c. D. BONSALL 1,356,276

CAR ROOF Filed Sept. 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VIII/IAll/I/l/l/Il/l/ll/I/l/l/l/II/l/IA I/ll/l/ V til Patented May 3, 1932UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES DAVID BONSALL, F PITTSBURGH,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO 1?. H. MURPHY COMPANY, OF NEW KENSINGTON,PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA CAR ROOF Application filedSeptember 26, 1930. Serial No. 484,511.

This invention relates to metal car roofs of the type wherein the roofsheets are adapted to l'unction as load carrying members by so arrangingand connecting them together that they form a continuous coveringconsisting of raised panels extending from side plate to side plate atone level alternating with similar panels at a higher or lower level. Ina typical design of this root, the stresses due to vertical load aretaken care 01 after the manner of a beam, with the metal in the upperand lower panels taking care or" the compressive and tensile stressesrespectively and vertically disposed portions of the sheets functioningto tal-ze care of the principal shearing and buckling stresses. Theprincipal object of the present invention is to increase the capacity ofroots of this type for resisting the principal shear and bucklingstresses and also develop more fully the capacity of the roof forresisting tensile and compressive stresses. The invention consistsprincipally in incorporating at each seam a member designed to functionas a vertically disposed connecting web between the upper and lowerpanels, and also to stiffen and strengthen the whole roof. It alsoconsists in such seam stiflening member and in the combinations andarrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refers to like partswherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a car root embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 an enlarged vertical transverse section through one-half of thecar roof on the line 22 oi Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through said roof at the ridgeon the line 3-3 in Fig. 1,

Fig. at is an enlarged vertical cross section through the eaves portionof the roof, the section being taken on the line 44 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section through one of the roof seams on theline 5-5 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is a similar section through said seam on the line 66 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on the line "(-7 in Fig. 4,

Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal cross section through a modified roofconstruction,

Fig. 9 is a vertical cross section similar to Fig. 5 showing a modifiedseam c0nstruction,

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing seam stiffener of modifiedform, and

Fig. 11 is a View similar to Fig. 5 showing another modified form ofscam stiffener.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, the rootsheets are arched and span the space from side plate 1 to side plate 1,their ends being turned down and riveted or otherwise secured to suchside plates. Said Sheets are arranged in two series, the sheets A of oneseries being arranged at one level and the sheets B of the other seriesalternating therewith and disposed at a lower level. The upper sheets Ahave downwardly extending flanges 2 along their side margins and thelower sheets B have upwardly extending flanges 3 along their sidemargins, the flanges of the upper sheets overlapping those of the lowersheets. The upper sheets A are curved downwardly, as at 4, at the eaveswhere they merge into the plane of the body portions of the lowersheets; and the surplus metal resulting from the downwardly curved endsof said upper sheets is turned outwardly over the lower sheets in theform of flanges 5. The lower end portions of the upstanding flanges 3 ofthe lower sheets are likewise flattened out, as at 6, beneath the uppersheets.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, a thickZ-shaped plate 7 is dis-' posed with its web portion between thedownturned flange 2 of the upper sheet A and the upturned flange 3 ofthe lower sheet B, with the lower horizontal leg 8 of said plateoverlapping or resting upon the body portion of the lower sheet and withthe upper horizontal leg 9 extending under the body portion of the uppersheet. The two sheet flanges and the Z-shaped plate between them areriveted together by horizontal rivets 10. The eaves ends of the Z-shapedplate 7 are preferably secured to the Z-side plates 1 by angle brack ets11 having one flange riveted to the side plate and the other flangeriveted to the bottom flange 8 of the Z-shaped plate and to the portionsof the sheets disposed above and below said bottom flange. The upperflange 9 of the Z-plate 7 is sheared off adjacent to the eaves and theweb tapers downwardly to fit the downward curved ends of the uppersheets.

By reason of the thickness of the Z-shaped plate 7 and the verticalextent thereof, the sheet-flanges are supported against-bucklingstresses and to a large extent relieved of shearing and other stressesto which they are" subject in performing their function as the web of abeam. At the same time, the hori'-' zontal legs 8 and 90f the Z-plate 7are close to the upper and lower levels respectively of the roof sheetsand, by reason of their position and relatively large ectional area, arewell adapted to take care of tensile and compressive stresses andconsequently to relieve the sheets of the portion of such stresses thustaken by them.

In the construction hereinbefore described, the upper sheets aredifferent from the lower sheets, but both sets of sheets are of verysimple designand .easy to manufacture and apply. In the designillustrated in Fig. 8, the individual roof-sheet is offset at the middlethereof thus forming an upper panel A and a lower panel- B in the samesheet, a downturnedflange 2a being formed along the side edge of theupper panel and an upstanding flange 3a being formed along the sideedgeiof the-lower panel. All the sheets of a roof may be of thissamedesign, which also is-easy to manufacture and apply, the seam or jointbeing made between the upper panel of one sheet and the lower panel ofthe adjacent sheetin the same manner as where the upper and lowershectsare separate. This design has the advantage of decreasing-thenumber of seams and sheets for a given number of panels in comparisonwith the con- 2 struction of-Fig. 3 wherein the whole body of-one sheetis at one level and the 'whole similar to that of Fig. 3 except that thevertical sheet flanges bear flatwisevagainst each other and that,instead of the vertical web of the Z plate 7 being interposed betweensuch flanges, it bears flatwise against the flange of'the lower sheetonly. In consequence of this position, the'lower horizontal leg of the-Z plate is underneath instead of on top of thelower sheet.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 10,

thereoffleavin the sheetstotake care ofthe. 1 IL main tensile andcompressive stresses incident to its beam action.

Preferably the upper panels are of substantially equal width with thelower panels, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 8, and the reinforcingmember is of substantially symmetrical section and the line of rivets issub stantially midway between the upper and lower panels and likewise ofthe top and bottom-'ofthe reinforcingmember, that is, the lineof rivetssubstantially coincides with the neutral axis of the unified structu-reuObviously the cross sectional shape and area of the web strengtheningmember admits of considerable variation, in consequence of. which the.metal therein may be massed wherever and in such amounts as thedesigners computations indicate need or use therefon For instance, aheavy concentraion of metal at the top, vas in Fig. 11, is particularlyuseful in increasing the compressive strength of the roof and permittingthe useof thinnersheets at the upper level thereof.

W hat I claim is:

l. A car roof comprising roof sheets adapted, arranged and joinedtogether to form two series of panels, the panels of one seriesbeingdisposedat one level and the panels of the second series being disposedat a higher level and alternating with the panels of the first series,the seam construction comprising an upstanding flange along the side ofa lower panel and a depending flange along the side of the adjacentupper panel that covers said first mentioned flange and extends belowthe top of said first mentioned fir nge far enough for driving rivetsthrough them; and a seam' reinforcing member, said flanges andreinforcing member being riveted together by rivets which extend throughboth of said flanges and said reinforcing member.

2.. A. car roof comprising 3 roof sheets adapt-ed and joined together attheir edgesto' form one series of panels disposed at one level andasecond series oflpanels disposed at a higher l vel and alternating withthe panels of the first series, and the seam construction comprising anupstanding flange at the side of one sheet lapping a depending flange atthe side of the next sheet and a separate sea-m reinforcing memberbetween said flanges, both of said flanges and. said reinforcing memberbeing rigidly secured together byrivets extending therethrough.

3. A. car roof comprising roof sheets adapted, arranged and joinedtogether'to' form twoseries-ofp'anels', the panels of one series beingdisposed at one level and the panels of the second series being disposedat a higher level and alternating With the panels of thefi'rst series,the seam construction comprising an upstanding flange along the side ofa lower panel and a depending, flange along the sideof the adjacentupper panel that covers and laps said first mentioned flange and aZ-shaped seam reinforcing member between said flanges, said flanges andthe web portion of said reinforcing member being riveted together byrivets extending through the lapped portions of said flanges.

4. A car roof comprising roof sheets adapted and joined together attheir edges to form one series of panels disposed at one level andhaving upstanding flanges along their side edges and a second series ofpanels disposed at a higher level and alternating with the panels of thefirst series, and the seam construction comprising a Z-shaped seamreinforcing member, and an upstanding flange at the side of one sheetlapping and contacting flatwise against a depending flange at the sideof the next sheet, said flanges and reinforcing member being rigidlysecured together.

A. car roof comprising two series of roof sheets, the roof sheets of oneseries being disposed at one level and having upstanding flanges alongtheir side edges and the sheets of the second series being disposed at ahigher level and alternating with the sheets of the first series, thesheets of the second series having depending side flanges that cover theadjarcnt flanges of the sheets of the first series and extend far enoughbelow the top of said upstanding flanges for driving rivets through bothflanges; and a seam. reinforcing member at each joint, said seamreinforcing member and the lapped portion of said flanges N beingrigidly secured together flatwise.

5. A car roof comprising two series of roof sheets, the roof sheets ofone series being disposed at one level and having upstanding flangesalong their side edges and the sheets of the second series beingdisposed at a higher level and alternating with the sheets of the firstseries, the sheets of the second series having depending side flangesthat cover and lap the adjacent flanges of the sheets of the firstseries, and a seam reinforcing member at each joint disposed flatwiseagainst the inner face of the flange of the lower sheet, such flangesand seam reinforcing member being riveted together.

7. A car roof comprising two series of roof sheets, the roof sheets ofone series being disposed at one level and having upstanding flangesalong their side edges and the sheets of the second series beingdisposed at a higher level and alternating with the sheets of the firstseries. the sheets of the second series having depending side flangesthat cover and lap the adjacent flanges of the sheets of the firstseries, and a seam reinforcing member between and rigidly secured to thelapped portions of said flanges.

8. A car roof comprising two series of roof sheets, the roof sheets ofone series being disposed at one level and having upstanding flangesalong their side edges and the sheets of the second series beingdisposed at a higher level and alternating with the sheets of the firstseries, the sheets of the second series having depending side flangesthat cover and lap the adjacent flanges of the sheets of the firstseries, and a reinforcing member comprising a vertical web portion and ahorizontal leg at the top thereof underlying the marginal portion of theupper panel, and a horizontal leg at the bottom thereof underlying themarginal portion of the lower panel.

9. A car roof comprising roof sheets adapted, arranged and joinedtogether to form two series of panels, the panels of one series beingdisposed at one level and the panels of the second series being disposedat a higher level and alternating with the panels of the first series,the seam construction comprising an upstanding flange along the side ofa lower panel and a depending flange along the side of the adjacentupper panel that covers and laps said first mentioned flange, and a seamreinforcing member, said flanges and reinforcing member being rivetedtogether by a single line of rivets.

10. A car roof comprising roof sheets adapted, arranged and joinedtogether to form two series of panels, the panels of one series beingdisposed at one level and the panels of the second series being disposedat a higher level and alternating with the panels of the first series,the seam construction comprising an upstanding flange along the side ofa lower panel and a depending flange along the side of the adjacentupper panel that covers and laps said first mentioned flange, and a seamreinforcing member, said flanges and reinforcing member being rivetedtogether by a single line of rivets substantially coinciding with theneutral axis of said roof.

11. A car roof of the kind described comprising roof sheets whose bodyportions are adapted and arranged to form a roof with panels atdifferent levels, said roof sheets having flanges along their sides, andreinforcing members cooperating with such flanges, each reinforcingmember and the two adjacent sheet flanges being all secured together bythe same horizontal rivets.

12. A car roof of the kind described comprising roof sheets whose bodyportions are adapted and ar 'anged to form panels at clifferent levels,said roof sheets having flanges along their sides, and reinforcingmembers cooperating with said flanges, a reinforcing member and the twoadjacent sheet flanges being all secured together by a single line ofrivets located substantially midway between the upper and lower panels.

Signed at New Kensington, Pennsylvania, this 22nd day of Sept, 1930.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL.

